sjar Chapter 282 Preparing to Cross the River
Chapter 282 Preparing to Cross the River
Two days later.
early morning.
The sky was gray for a while, and there was indeed fog over the Ling River, making it impossible to see the situation on the other side clearly.
Before dawn, more than 20,000 Huainan troops, plus 3,000 Anding troops under Jiangzuo, had gathered on the north bank, preparing to launch the first wave of offensive against the State of Chen.
Chen Xiu was at the front of the battle, looking at the troops that were about to cross the river to fight, and he finally felt relieved.
The war that Jiang Zuo promised to start in two days has indeed begun today.
At this moment, the Yan army had an absolute advantage over the entire Ling River.
Because the Chen army had no naval support, the Yan army could easily transport soldiers across the wide Ling River.
The only difficulty is how to seize the beachhead and allow more troops to cross the river.
Chen Xiu has already made the best plan. As long as he can seize the south bank, this crossing of Linghe River will be a success.
Although the Chen army on the other side now has much more troops than the Yan army, Chen Xiu believes that the battle-hardened Huainan army can break through the enemy's defenses.
Just as he was thinking about that, Jiang Zuo also came to the front of the Huainan Army and ordered: "All soldiers listen to my orders, be ready to cross the river at any time!"
After hearing Jiang Zuo's words, many people felt a little nervous.
After so many days of preparation, this day finally arrived.
There will surely be many dangers waiting for the Huainan Army on the unknown other side of the river.
Currently parked at the temporary port are the navy's twelve warships and ferries of various sizes.
After some preparation, all the troops had already boarded the ferry, ready to receive Jiang Zuo's orders at any time and begin to force a crossing of the Ling River.
"The archers are ready, let them board the warship as well."
Chen Xiu came to Jiang Zuo and said.
In the past few days, the Anding Army has taken over the more than ten warships, and it is unknown what weapons have been deployed on them. The Huainan Army has never had a chance to join in.
Jiang Zuo turned his head and glanced at the elite archers of the Huainan Army, but shook his head and said, "There is no need for archers to board the ship. The warships are now parked in the middle of the river. The Anding Army will be able to clearly see the enemy on the other side."
"What do you mean? Are we going to force our way across the river without the archers' cover?"
Chen Xiu didn't understand.
Jiang Zuo said: "Let the Anding Army lead the charge, and you will be ready to take my orders at any time and then row the boat across the river."
After observing for the past few days, it was found that the Chen people on the other side of the river had already built defensive fortifications on the river beach. If they tried to force their way across the river, they would probably be attacked by the enemy halfway across.
The Ling River is wide, and although the water flow is not fast, it is not easy to cross the river quickly without being discovered by Chen Jun.
In the eyes of the Huainan Army soldiers, Jiangzuo had been preparing for so many days, so maybe there were no other tactics.
"Just cross the river like this?"
Someone couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
The arrows of the Chen people would not allow them to cross the river so easily.
Even though there is fog on the river surface now, they will undoubtedly be exposed once the sun comes out.
It would take at least half a day for an army of tens of thousands to completely cross the Ling River with only the current ships available.
Could it be that Jiang Zuo is playing with the lives of his soldiers?
Some people raised doubts about Jiang Zuo in their hearts.
But Jiang Zuo did not explain too much to them, because he had to coordinate a lot of troops now and had no time to take care of other things.
Jiang Zuo instructed the generals of the Anding Army: "The three-gun order is the time to launch the artillery attack."
The general nodded: "Understood."
"Fire all the first batch of shells, then move the warships closer to the south bank and use musketeers to suppress the fire."
Jiang Zuo repeated his previous order.
"Don't worry, sir. Everything is going according to plan."
The general nodded.
Chen Xiu already knew about Jiang Zuo's plan, but he didn't know the power of the cannon, and he couldn't understand why Jiang Zuo didn't let the Huainan army take the lead.
But as long as the river crossing goes smoothly this time, Chen Xiu can let Jiang Zuo take over all command.
Only battle results can convince everyone. I just hope Jiang Zuo will not disappoint people.
"Remember, wait for my order before you start crossing the river."
Jiang Zuo turned around and gave orders to the Huainan Army.
"As ordered."
The soldiers responded.
"Has it started yet?"
Chen Xiu whispered.
Jiang Zuo looked at the mist on the river and said, "We can start now. Let's help the Chen people plow the land first."
"Plow? What's that code for?"
Chen Xiu asked doubtfully.
Jiang Zuo smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, you will know after you take a look."
Seeing Jiang Zuo being so mysterious, Chen Xiu became even more curious.
Jiang Zuo has been hiding for so many days, and it's time to pull out his so-called heavyweight weapon for everyone to see.
The south bank of Ling River at this moment.
The soldiers of the State of Chen still held their ground on the riverbank, looking vigilantly at the opposite bank.
The general of the Chen army who was in charge of the defense of Linghe seemed to be completely unaware of what would happen next.
Due to the darkness and fog, the Chen army on the south bank had no idea that the Yan army's warships were slowly approaching the south bank and could launch an attack at any time.
“What a quiet river.”
The soldier in charge of guarding the river beach couldn't help but yawn at this moment.
During these days, the mental state of this group of defenders can only be described as tense.
Before this, Magistrate Pan had given many orders, asking them to gradually build fortifications on the river beaches in this area to prevent the Yan army from crossing the river from here.
However, in the view of many Chen army soldiers, the Yan army would not forcefully cross the Ling River. On the contrary, many people believed that the main attack direction of the Yan army would still be in the Changzhou city area as before.
"What a thick fog. Could it be that the Yan thief is taking advantage of the fog to launch a sneak attack?"
Someone said uneasily.
"The Yan army's navy has been here for such a long time, but there is still no movement. If they wanted to cross the river, they would have forced a crossing at night and would not have waited until today."
Others comforted themselves.
Most of the soldiers responsible for guarding the river beach were newly recruited soldiers who had little combat effectiveness and naturally did not want a war to break out.
"Their boats are still trying to cross the river, so we will burn their boats and let them fall into the Ling River to feed the fish!"
A soldier said.
For a moment, many people laughed.
It seems that these little laughs can ease their inner tension and anxiety.
These soldiers have been stationed on the south bank for some time, but they still haven't seen any signs of the Yan army crossing the river.
Therefore, many people in the army believed that the Yan army would definitely not cross the Ling River...
At this moment, on the north bank, the Yan army still did not make any movement.
The soldiers held their breath and stared closely at the direction of the south bank.
"Can we cross the river now?"
Chen Xiu asked.
Their army has been silent for a long time. If they don't cross the river, daybreak will soon be approaching.
Everyone is ready, except for Jiang Zuo to give the orders.
"Wait until the fog gradually dissipates and you can see the situation on the other side clearly before you start again."
At this time, Jiang Zuo said lightly.